The invention relates to a cantilever type shelf for long products such as boards, pipes, iron profiles, and the like, comprising posts and cantilever arms extending therefrom.
From European patent 0 061 514 such a cantilever type shelf is known in which the posts are in the form of double-T profile posts and wherein stamped-out portions are arranged in pairs in the flanges of the posts at a spacing from one another and with identical vertical spacing above one another. At the end of each cantilever arm two hooks are provided as holding elements for a detachable suspension in the stamped-out portions of the post. The suspending and the removal of the cantilever arms can be realized only at a certain angle. For this purpose, under certain conditions, i.e., for a comparatively great length and/or minimal vertical spacing of the cantilever arms, the arms positioned thereabove and the load placed thereon must be removed beforehand with corresponding work and time expenditures.
A cantilever type shelf is known from EP 0 519 316 B1 whose cantilever arms can be inserted horizontally and whose configuration resides in that each of the hooks has a partially downwardly thickened neck whose underside forms a support surface within a partial area of the lower edge of the stamped-out portion. This configuration requires an extremely high measure of precision. In this connection, the ascending part of the wedge in the horizontal direction should have a length which is approximately half the thickness of the flange and should be smaller by a fitting tolerance of between 0.1 and 0.5 mm than the spacing of the inner side of the hook from the inner side of the flange, wherein the support surface of the neck should have a horizontal length which corresponds approximately to half the thickness of the flange, and, finally, the height of the hook should be smaller by a fitting tolerance, preferably 0.1 to 0.5 mm than the spacing between the lower edge and the upper edge of the stamped-out portion of the flange. In this embodiment, the posts are also formed as double-T profile posts.
From WO 98/11804 a cantilever type shelf is known in which the posts are also formed as double-T profile posts, wherein the hooks can be inserted partially horizontally through the stamped-out portions and wherein in the partial area for insertion of each hook a cutout is provided and configured to receive horizontally a locking element.
Generally, for heavy load shelves the posts are double-T profile posts according to DIN 1025. The posts in the form of double-T profiles (for example, IPE beams) require a great material expenditure and thus also high freight costs. Moreover, these rolled profiles are comprised of steel qualities of the quality group St 37, i.e., a relatively inexpensive mass-produced steel. When materials of higher quality are to be used, this is often prevented by the greatly increased material costs and the reduced market share. Moreover, an optimal adaptation of the load carrying capacity of a cantilever type shelf to the respective requirements is not possible because the commercial IPE beams are deliverable only in the form of a stepped assortment and thus stepped load carrying jumps so that the concrete embodiment for an application must be either over-sized or under-sized.
In order to reduce the use of material while maintaining the stability of the posts, according to U.S. Pat. No. 3,612,291 the posts of a cantilever type shelf are manufactured of U-shaped profiled sheet metal flanges. The sheet metal flanges are connected to one another similar to a truss structure by horizontal and diagonal webs such that the posts taper pointedly in the upward direction. At the connecting locations the two sheet metal flanges thus form approximately a double-T profile together with the webs connecting them. In this known shelf, the cantilever arms are laterally screwed onto the sheet metal flanges connected to one another.
Based on this prior art, it is an object of the invention to improve significantly a cantilever type shelf of the aforementioned kind and to configure it with simple means such that with a highest degree of load carrying capacity or its optimization to the respective application a problem-free manufacture as well as an assembly as simple as possible can be achieved, wherein highest requirements with regard to the tolerance precision of the elements on the posts and the cantilever arms interacting with one another can be fulfilled.
The object is solved according to the invention in that the posts are comprised of profiled sheet metal flanges which, by means of a web, form approximately a double-T profile. Forming is carried out by means of known cold-forming methods using hot-rolled or cold-rolled strip/sheet metal coils. Accordingly, i.e., by adjustability and variability of the flanges or flange profiles, stepping the load capacity of the previously employed IPE beams can be avoided so that an optimal adaptation of the load carrying capacity with regard to material selection can be realized, i.e., better, higher quality sheet metal materials can be used at favorable prices, for example, St 52 instead of St 37. An over-sizing of the cantilever type shelf, as in the case of the prior art double-T rolled profiles, is not necessary.
The use of St 52, for example, results already in approximately 30% material savings for the same load capacity of the shelf. With the continuous variation or adaptation to the required load carrying capacity, an extra 30-40% of material can be saved. Moreover, the cost-intensive prior art working steps such as sand blasting and welding can be mostly eliminated resulting in reduced labor costs.
The sheet metal profiles according to the invention can be manufactured in almost any desired profiling from hot-rolled or cold rolled strip/sheet metal coils in all steel qualities of normal or surface-treated embodiments inexpensively on machines suitable therefore.
Moreover, the sheet metal tolerances are smaller than the IPE tolerances so that the use of the cantilever type shelf system according to the invention as a tall shelf storage system with automatic loading is possible. With the configuration according to the invention, a precisely fitting and cost-beneficial manufacture, despite narrow tolerances, as well as a problem-free suspending and removal of the cantilever arms during mounting are greatly favored. Moreover, statics advantages results by optimization of the flange profiles and their thickness up to approximately 5 mm as well as by means of the possible attachment of reinforcement materials.
It is not necessary that in the flanges of the stamped-out portions are arranged in pairs at a spacing from one another and at identical vertical spacing above one another; however, this is not to be excluded but instead can be expedient in connection with further measures.
In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the sheet metal flanges have a vertical groove, wherein the web adjoins the vertical groove. In this way, the same profiles can be manufactured and used inexpensively for both post sides. At the same time, the vertical groove makes possible a horizontal mounting and removal of the cantilever arms when, according to the invention, the cantilever arms have a foot plate with a nose and the nose is configured to be insertable into the vertical groove and fastenable therein so that a great statics advantage results because the forces are introduced into the web.
In this connection, it is particularly expedient that the vertical groove has lateral holding openings in which the cantilever arm can be fastened in a simple way so as to be height-adjustable, preferably in a self-locking arrangement.
According to a further embodiment, flanks, recessed relative to the outer front, adjoin externally both sides of the vertical groove, and, in this way, projections, as they are known in the prior art, and thus impairment of loading and unloading actions of the shelf can be avoided.
By providing bulges on the outer sides of the profiled sheet metal flanges for the purpose of receiving reinforcement material, wherein the reinforcement material (preferably solid material or steel) is preferably welded from the post foot up to a height of approximately 1.5 m preferably welded from the post foot up to a height of approximately 1.5 m, the use of material for optimized load carrying capacity can be further minimized and, in this way, costs can be saved.
In the recessed flanks perforations can be advantageously provided in pairs at a spacing from one another and at identical vertical spacing above one another which match the two hooks (not illustrated; compare DE 3832 537 A1) provided as holding elements at the end of each cantilever arm for a detachable suspension in the perforations or so that the hooks can be inserted partially horizontally through the perforations.
In a further embodiment of the invention, an adaptor part with adaptor nose and stamped-out portions is provided by means of which the use of conventional or already employed cantilever arms with two hooks for heavy loads can be realized without damaging the sheet metal flanges or their perforations while ensuring a configuration according to statics.
Finally, it is expedient that the posts are fastened by screwing to the post legs wherein the post feet can engage at least partially the profilings of the sheet metal flanges. In this way, the post feet can be configured more simply and no longer require to be welded on site. This provides a simplified final assembly and transport as well as storage. Accordingly, the post can be delivered already in its finish-painted form and can be assembled according to customer specifications. The freight cost-intensive posts (flange and web) can also be delivered from storage in foreign countries; the cantilever arms and post feet are then supplied according to customer specifications.